The invention provides a wafer clamping apparatus and method for use in semiconductor processing. The apparatus includes a clamping component that holds a backside of the wafer to a supporting surface and cools the wafer to prevent overheating. The clamping component is a chemical compound, such as H2O, that covers at least a section of the supporting surface and can adhere the backside of the wafer to the supporting surface. The component undergoes one or more phase-changes (e.g., liquid to solid, solid to liquid, etc.) to facilitate various operations throughout the process. The phase-changes ensure that the wafer may be easily loaded onto and released from the supporting structure at the beginning and end of the process, respectively, while being securely held and cooled during the process. The wafer clamp is suitable for use in a number of semiconductor processes, including ion implantation, and is particularly useful in processes that require wafer cooling such as ion implantation processes that have high implant energies, long implant times, high implant doses, or combinations thereof.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A wafer clamping apparatus comprising: a platen having a supporting surface that is disposed in a vacuum environment; and a device for delivering a clamping and cooling component that covers at least a section of the supporting surface and undergoes at least one phase-change during a processing cycle to effect the clamping and cooling of a wafer to the supporting surface.
2. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the clamping and cooling component comprises a solid film, during a portion of the processing cycle, covering at least a section of the supporting surface.
3. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the solid film is adherable to a backside of a wafer.
4. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the solid film conducts heat away from a wafer adhered to the solid film during a portion of the processing cycle.
5. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the platen is connectable to a cooling source capable of cooling the solid film.
6. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the solid film undergoes a phase-change to release a wafer from the supporting surface.
7. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the solid film undergoes a phase-change to a liquid.
8. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the solid film undergoes a phase-change to a gas.
9. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the clamping and cooling component undergoes a phase-change to form the solid film.
10. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 9 , wherein a liquid film wetting at least a section of the supporting surface undergoes a phase-change to form the solid film.
11. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a gas undergoes a phase-change to form the solid film.
12. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a mechanical vibrating device coupled to the platen constructed and arranged to vibrate thereby causing the wafer to release from the solid film.
13. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the mechanical vibrating device comprises an ultrasonic transducer disposed within the platen and defining a portion of the supporting surface.
14. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the platen includes a plurality of conduits fluidly connecting a source of the clamping and cooling component to the supporting surface.
15. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the clamping and cooling component comprises H 2 O.
16. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the clamping and cooling component comprises CO 2 .
17. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wafer clamping and cooling apparatus is a part of an ion implantation system.
18. A wafer clamping and cooling apparatus comprising: a platen having a supporting surface that is disposed in a vacuum environment; and a device for delivering a clamping and cooling component covering at least a section of the supporting surface, the clamping and cooling component being adherable to a backside of a wafer and capable of releasing a backside of a wafer in response to an increase in temperature.
19. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the clamping and cooling component comprises a solid film adherable to the backside of the wafer and to the supporting surface during a portion of a processing operation.
20. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the solid film changes phase to release the wafer from the supporting surface.
21. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the solid film changes to a liquid film to release the wafer.
22. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the solid film is formed by cooling a liquid film wetting at least a section of the supporting surface.
23. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the platen is connectable to a cooling source capable of cooling the platen to change the liquid film to the solid film.
24. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the solid film conducts heat away from the wafer adhered to the solid film during a portion of the processing cycle.
25. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the clamping and cooling component comprises H 2 O.
26. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the clamping and cooling component comprises CO 2 .
27. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the wafer clamping and cooling apparatus is a part of an ion implantation system.
28. A wafer clamping and cooling apparatus comprising: a platen having a supporting surface that is disposed in a vacuum environment; and a device for delivering a clamping and cooling component that, during a first period of a processing cycle, is a liquid film covering at least a portion of the supporting surface and, during a second period of the processing cycle, is a solid film adherable to a backside of a wafer.
29. The wafer clamping and cooling apparatus of claim 28 , wherein, during a third period of the processing operation, the clamping and cooling component is a liquid film capable of releasing a backside of the wafer from the supporting surface.
30. A method of clamping and cooling a wafer comprising: delivering a clamping and cooling component to cover at least a section of a supporting surface of a platen that is disposed in a vacuum environment; and changing the phase of the clamping and cooling component to effect the clamping and cooling of a wafer to the supporting surface.
31. The method of claim 30 , further comprising holding a wafer to the supporting surface with the clamping and cooling component.
32. The method of claim 31 , further comprising cooling the wafer while holding the wafer to the supporting surface.
33. The method of claim 31 , wherein changing the phase of the clamping and cooling component releases the wafer from the supporting surface.
34. The method of claim 30 , wherein the clamping and cooling component is provided as a solid film that adheres the wafer to the supporting surface.
35. The method of claim 34 , further comprising freezing a liquid film to provide the solid film.
36. The method of claim 35 , further comprising wetting at least a section of the supporting surface with the liquid film prior to freezing the liquid film.
37. The method of claim 35 , further comprising delivering the liquid film to the supporting surface through conduits in the platen.
38. The method of claim 34 , further comprising solidifying a gas to provide the solid film.
39. The method of claim 34 , further comprising melting the solid film to form a liquid film to release the wafer.
40. The method of claim 34 , further comprising mechanically vibrating the solid film to release the wafer.
41. The method of claim 40 , comprising ultrasonically vibrating the solid film to release the wafer.
42. The method of claim 40 , further comprising melting the solid film to form a liquid film by placing a wafer on the solid film.
43. The method of claim 30 , further comprising implanting ions within a region of the wafer.
44. The method of claim 30 , wherein the clamping and cooling component comprises H 2 O.
45. The method of claim 30 , wherein the clamping and cooling component comprises CO 2 .
46. A method of clamping, cooling and releasing a wafer comprising: delivering a liquid film during a first period of a processing cycle, providing a solid film during a second period of a processing cycle on at least a portion of a supporting surface of the platen that is disposed in a vacuum environment to adhere a backside of the wafer to the supporting surface; and heating the solid film to release the backside of the wafer from the supporting surface.
47. The method of claim 46 , comprising changing the solid film to a liquid film to release the backside of the wafer from the supporting surface.
48. The method of claim 46 , comprising changing the solid film to a gas to release the backside of the wafer from the supporting surface.
49. The method of claim 46 , further comprising implanting ions within a region of the wafer.
50. The method of claim 46 , wherein the solid film comprises H 2 O.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 1, 2000
February 3, 2004
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